Semiconductor chips may typically be sorted into either good or defective chips by running an electrical test. The defective chip usually contains failed cells which may cause the malfunctioning of the chip. Therefore, the failed cell should be replaced by a redundant cell, through a repair process.
A fuse is generally used for the repair process. A fuse corresponding to the defective cell may be cut off, and a fuse corresponding to the redundant cell may be connected so that the defective cell may be replaced with the redundant cell. However, if the fuse is cut incompletely, the defective cell may not be repaired.
Therefore, an effective cutting of the fuse may be required to repair the defective cells successfully.